


Travelling Alone Together

by MashpotatoeQueen5



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, Also Featuring Pikachu casually and gleefully contemplating electrocuting all his problems away, And here to take care of His Boy, Ash is so tired, Attempted Kidnapping, Best Friends, Carnival, Cinnamon Roll Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Cute Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Dreams and Nightmares, Families of Choice, Featuring Pikachu's Unhealthy Obsession With Ketchup, Festivals, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, He just wants to become a pokemon master, Healing, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Is this entire fic just an excuse to write Ash and Pikachu being best partners?, Listen these two smol beans love each other so much, Long-Distance Friendship, Nightmares, Phone Calls & Telephones, Pikachu Takes No Shit (Pokemon), Pikachu is along for the ride, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Pokemon Battles, Pokemon Center, Pokemon Journey, Pokemon Training, Protective Pikachu (Pokemon), Restaurants, Sassy Pikachu (Pokemon), Slice of Life, Stargazing, Sweet Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Team Rocket (Pokemon), Team Rocket is Blasting Off AGGAAAAAAAIIIIIN, Teenage Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Timeline What Timeline, Trauma, Travel, World Travel, Yes it Is, and i love them, but he's got too big a heart to leave behind anyone who needs help, friendship to the max!, yes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:48:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23955595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MashpotatoeQueen5/pseuds/MashpotatoeQueen5
Summary: Pikachu doesn’t want to sound selfish.Really. He doesn’t.But sometimes he thinks his favourite moments are when it’s just him and Ash, traveling the roads with nothing and no one to bother them. When it's just this, justthem,the universe twinkling above and the dust of the trail under their feet.
Relationships: Kasumi | Misty & Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Satoshi | Ash Ketchum & Satoshi no Pikachu | Ash Ketchum's Pikachu, Satoshi | Ash Ketchum & Takeshi | Brock, Satoshi | Ash Ketchum & Takeshi | Brock & Kasumi | Misty
Comments: 30
Kudos: 322
Collections: Ash Ketchem Best Works, Purrsonal Picks





	Travelling Alone Together

**Author's Note:**

> Take this. 3000 words of pure Ash and Pikachu friendship. 
> 
> I have no control over my life anymore.

There is the heavy odour of grease in the air, fried foods clashing with the calls of stall vendors and children's laughter. Pikachu sits on Ash’s shoulder, nose twitching, eyes darting around at all the colours and moving pinwheels. He wants to take it all in while he still can, before Ash inevitably gets sucked into whatever assorted trainers happen to be passing by and they get caught up in a battle.

His partner attracts potential battlers like a venomoth to a flame.

And pokemon battles are a mesh of adrenaline and excitement, something thrumming in his bones beyond just electricity. They’re strong- Pikachu  _ knows  _ they are, and getting to show it off to the world is a joy that can hardly be put into words.

But they never really needed words anyway.

“Hey!” someone calls, her voice bright and her build burly. Her hair’s dyed a plethora of colours- tight braids of pinks and teals and aquamarines- and she’s nearly twice Ash’s height. The trainer’s grin is brilliant and crooked, and a small roggenrolla bounces around her feet.

There was no threat in her eyes, just curiosity, just that same will to grow and get stronger he so often sees in his own partner’s eyes, and so he lets her approach.

“Is that a pikachu?” she asks, leaning down to take a better look. His boy grins, blinding and brilliant, and he preens as his friend reaches up to scratch him under his chin. “I’ve never seen one of them around here.”

“Yup- he’s my partner! I’m Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town, and I’m going to be a Pokemon Master!”

The woman raises her eyebrows at the wave of information spilling out before her, but takes it in stride. 

“Kaitlin. How would you feel about testing your pokemon against my team?”

Ash shrugs, smile turning sheepish.

“I’m afraid it’s gonna have to be one on one- I’ve only got Pikachu with me at the moment.”

Pikachu stands on his partner’s shoulders, cheeks sparking, tension building- soon. The carnival is already fading away into the back of his mind. His trainer is bouncing on his toes.

Kaitlin laughs.

“C’mon, I know the perfect place. Whoever loses can buy the victor lunch: I know the perfect place for that, too!”

The mighty cavern that is Ash’s stomach lets loose a perfectly timed grumble, leaving the boy blushing. Pikachu laughs at him, but then his own stomach makes a gurgling noise, and then they’re  _ both _ laughing at each other.

Rolling her eyes good naturedly, Kaitlin smiles and starts walking, his boy tripping over himself to catch up with her, asking about the town, where she grew up, the  _ pokemon- _

And Pikachu perches and lets the wind roll over his back, ready for the battle, ready for anything at all.

It's midnight, and they're camping outside. They usually don't, when they're alone like this, just because it's far safer to sleep in a pokecenter then out in the open with no one to watch your back, but…

But they have each other's backs, and the stars are beautiful, tonight, and there is a whole wide world of people and pokémon out there and not a single one of them can touch them.

Not now. Not in this moment.

And Pikachu doesn’t want to sound selfish.

Really. He doesn’t.

But sometimes he thinks his favourite times are when it’s just him and Ash, traveling the roads with nothing and no one to bother them. When it's just this, just  _ them _ , the universe twinkling above and the dust of the trail under their feet. 

Life goes on and on. Pikachu looks up and watches it happen.

He almost lost Ash to the stars up there. His best friend, his partner, his  _ Ash,  _ lost to that deep dark. Cold, and scared, and still trying to smile.

The fact that he had been up there, too, meant very little, in the face of losing Ash.

Ash, who curls his fingers into Pikachu's scruff, perhaps a little tighter than particularly necessary. He curls up on his best friend's chest and measures heartbeats with his paws.

Life goes on and on, and they go on with it.

"You and me, buddy," Ash says, voice almost a whisper, voice almost a hum. It resonates in all this quiet dark.

Pikachu curls tighter, closer. Sparks something brilliant and bright.

_ Me and you, Ash. _

His partner laughs, scratches  _ just _ the right place behind his ear, and Pikachu croons in soft joy while Ash grins small and real down at him.

Then they fall quiet and watch the stars track across the night sky.

Today had been a Bad Day.

Pikachu doesn't know  _ why,  _ but sometimes the bad days come. Nothing wrong is happening, no end of the world scenario, no interrupting villains, no _ nothing. _ Just… bad.

Pikachu  _ hates  _ these days. They feel like the whole wide world is pressing in. They feel like a pokeball, cramped and tight, but pressing under his skin.

Pikachu really, really hates bad days.

Ash, for the most part, is letting him sit quietly on his shoulder. Usually they talk when it's like this, them and the sun and the trail stretching on forever, but Pikachu doesn't want to speak and Ash is content to listen to nothing, and so they go on silent feet.

Pikachu had shocked someone. This morning. A man with a buzz cut and stars in his eyes. He had plucked Pikachu right off of Ash's shoulder and pressed him against his face, smudging their cheeks together, and the electricity had built and flared and  _ exploded,  _ just like that.

He's not surprised. 

Bad days make it harder to keep it inside. When they're travelling with other people, bad days are  _ hard  _ because Pikachu has to keep up the good cheer, has to encourage the youngsters that somehow inevitably end up on their team, deal with the random poking and prodding from Ash's human companions, keep cool and collected for the hot shots that have yet to learn their lesson, learn to be kind, learn to be part of a family,  _ Ash's _ family, and-

They're hard, and by the end of it Pikachu almost always ends up snapping, or carried in Ash's arms, curled up in a tight and angry ball of electricity and yellow, ignoring the concerned looks.

He probably adds a few more burn scars to his partners forearms. If he does, Ash never complains. 

But when they're alone, Pikachu sits on Ash's shoulder, and the world can be quiet and calm and far away.

Ash doesn't ask. He doesn't judge. He just lets him be.

Pikachu appreciates it more than he can say.

Ketchup is the most wonderful thing in the entire universe.

Better than scratches. Better than clear blue lakes. Better than pokepuffs. Better than -  _ Arceus,  _ maybe, because it is heaven in a bottle, red and delicious and wonderful.

Beautiful. That's what ketchup is. Beauty put in physical form.

Ash had frowned disapprovingly when they had entered the restaurant and he had  _ immediately _ latched onto the closest bottle. The servers, however, had thought he was cute so  _ take that, Ash. _

There are three separate bottles on their table now, and one of the little kids who has been passing back and forth between the tables and the bathroom and the play area keeps leaving little offerings of ketchup packets. 

Another pass, another precious slip of plastic and pure red goodness to add to his hoard. The child laughs as he arranges his treasure, eyes bright and hair bouncing in his neat little afro, and Pikachu trills a happy  _ Thank you!! _

Ash, from where he's eating his burger, looks half amused and half exasperated, but he offers his own smile and words of gratitude

Once the kid is gone, Pikachu turns on his partner.

_ I like him, can we keep him? _

With his cheeks stuffed full of burger and his eyes blown wide, the double take the boy makes is utterly hilarious.

" _ Pikachu,  _ we can't just kidnap a kid because he gives you ketchup."

He doesn't sound angry, he sounds tired and amused, and Pikachu casually gorges himself on vast amounts of the most wonderful fabulous ketchup to hide his grin.

_ I don't see why not! He's not much younger than Max, and he clearly knows how to take care of a pokémon of high caliber such as myself… _

Ash flicks him in the forehead gently, rolling his eyes. Pikachu laughs and retaliates by a casual thwack with his tail. 

Things escalate. Quickly. As things are prone to do. 

After the food fight breaks out, and after the resulting massive electric discharge, the patrons no longer think he's so cute. 

...they get kicked out.

And it's a tragedy, if course, an utter  _ tragedy _ , because  _ all that ketchup  _ that he's leaving behind, and also the burned table, but mostly the  _ ketchup- _

Pikachu isn't going to  _ cry,  _ but-

_ But- _

Ash, a little charred and still a little smoking, sighs.

And then tanned calloused hands are reaching up, a grimy yet sealed ketchup packet held between his fingers 

All thoughts of tears immediately gone, Pikachu happily snatches the little condiment between his paws, tearing at the plastic with his teeth and embracing the delicious flavour once more.

He has the best partner  _ ever. _

Even better than ketchup, although he won't tell Ash that, because someone's got to keep his boy's ego in check. 

But still. Pikachu is the luckiest pokémon alive, because he has ketchup, and he has Ash.

The sun is beating down, and the spring water is delightfully cool against his fur. Ash has already ducked down beneath the surface, scrubbing miles of sweat and travel dust out of his hair. 

There's a small pod of woopers further downstream, singing and splashing and occasionally shooting the pair of them curious wide-eyed glances. 

Pikachu waves. The group collectively startles and dashes under the water.

And then, almost as if they were on a seesaw, Ash pops back up. There's still a little bit of soap clinging to the nape of his neck, but for the most part he seems clean. Which is good, because he was starting to smell, and even a beloved pokémon can only take so much.

He's offering his classic beaming grin, the one that scrunches at his eyes it's so big. Pikachu offers a smile to match and decides to help his buddy out, because crusty soap is no one's favourite thing.

It's all from the goodness of his heart, really.

At least, that's what he's going to tell Ash when he uses his tail to scoop up a truly impressive amount of water and fling it right at the boy's face.

Sputtering, his partner comes back up to air and throws a mock scowl at Pikachu's cackling. 

"Oh, you're going to get it!"

The following water fight is glorious, even if it does end when Ash catches sight of a poliwhirl bullying the pod of woopers, stealing their food and posturing.

"What do you say, buddy? Should we try and work things out?"

But Pikachu is already clambering on top of wet black hair, gripping tight with gentle claws, and they breathe in as one before Ash ducks under the water and starts swimming towards the trouble, something already thrumming under their veins.

In sinc. Together. Ready for anything.

Sometimes, Pikachu really misses Brock.

Brock was kind. He was good. His food was  _ amazing _ . He was a part of their family longer than anybody, stayed on through thick and thin and the utter most nightmares of the world. 

Brock  _ understood,  _ in ways that their more recent companions never really could.

And, most importantly, Brock was big enough to hold Ash together in ways that Pikachu never really could.

They're crammed into the corner of the bed, Ash's back pressed against the wall as his breath jumps and shakes and falls apart. A nightmare, a  _ bad  _ nightmare, judging by the way he's clutching onto Pikachu, his hold too tight around his smaller frame.

Pikachu doesn't complain. Pikachu just lets Ash hold him.

He feels so  _ useless _ like this, crooning and humming and nuzzling against Ash's neck and cheeks. His fur is wet from his partner's tears and none of this is fair.

Ash is very quiet, when he gets like this. Quiet enough to do it in a campground full of other people and have no one notice. 

Well, Brock used to be able to tell, and Misty was quite good at it, too. But they had their own nightmares. And they were no longer here.

It's just him. Just Pikachu. And sometimes he gets scared that one day Ash is going to wake up with a yell caught in his throat and he's not going to notice, going to sleep right through it.

Sometimes.

Not tonight, though. Not now. Now Pikachu curls up on his best friend's chest, tries to be warm and tries to be soothing, a yellow spot of brightness in all this quiet dark. 

Ash breathes, breathes, every inhale and exhale patching and spotting, like a bad radio signal, like there's something broken and shattered deep inside of his chest.

Pikachu isn't the only one who has bad days.

Ash shakes his way through breathing, and Pikachu counts his heartbeats, and the world spins on and on. 

_ I'm sorry,  _ he says,  _ I'm sorry I can't help you. _

Ash's fingers curl in his fur.

"Not- not your fault, buddy. I'm okay, really, just- just give me a minute."

_ You're not okay,  _ he thinks,  _ you're not,  _ but he doesn't say anything, just listens to Ash breathe.

_ I wish I could help you _ , he thinks, but he knows that sometimes all you can do is be there. 

And later, later, when Ash's inhales and exhales finally starting to even out, when the sun starts to peak greyish blue over the distant horizon, Pikachu will pull away for a second in order to ruffle through their backpack.

When he returns, he'll drop his offerings onto his best friend's chest, and Ash will curiously pick up the handful of ketchup packets scattered there, tilt his head back, and laugh.

It sounds like joy. It sounds like sunshine. It sounds like healing.

Pikachu smiles into Ash's chest and they curl in together, warm and safe and happy.

"Team Rocket! I should have known!"

_ You really should have, Ash,  _ Pikachu thinks, exasperated and frustrated and annoyed. But then again, he has little room to complain:  _ he _ should have known, too.

The capsule is pressed tight and close, and he breathes in short pants. The unexpected explosion has sent him and Ash spiralling, and he'd taken an unfortunate blow to the head. He feels dazed, now, a little shaky on all his edges.

The small space really isn't helping. Neither is Jessie's sing-song voice as she crows on and on about their victory.

Pikachu lets loose another thunderbolt. Mwowth laughs at him as the capsule absorbs it, but it had been less of an actual attempt to escape and more of a tension relief. More to just do  _ something _ , anything at all.

Ash is shouting, shouting, his voice falling further away. One of the few downsides of travelling alone is that it makes dealing with Team Rocket somewhat more difficult.

Ash, after all, usually doesn't have any other pokemon on him, or any friends to lend a helping hand.

….it's not great.

His head hurts.

James is waxing poetry about all the things they're going to do now that they have him, and Pikachu shifts and tries to find his balance with the rocking motions of the balloon. He considers using an Iron Tail, but he really has no room to maneuver.

_ Let me out! _

"No can do, Pikachu! You're goin' straight to da boss!"

They all laugh. Pikachu reminisces about electrocuting their faces off.

And then, suddenly, Ash is smacking against the side of the basket with an all mighty yell. Everyone's screaming and scrambling as the whole thing rocks violently side to side, and the capsule gets knocked over, the locking mechanism unlatching and leaving Pikachu free to escape.

Which he does, cheeks sparking dangerously. 

Team Rocket pales. Pikachu grins.

And as Ash wraps an arm around his midsection and leaps out into the open air, he releases his energy reserves and sends out a truly brilliant arch of lighting across the sky, blasting the trio out into the atmosphere.

It's incredibly satisfying. Even smashing onto the treetops doesn't lessen his grin, although there are sure to be bruises come morning. 

"Pikachu, are you okay? Pikachu?"

Pikachu curls into Ash's arms, sore and shaky and drained.  _ You're an idiot,  _ he says, because what his partner did was  _ dangerous _ , but Ash just laughs. 

They need a pokecenter, probably. Or at the very least some berries.

But they're here. And they're together. And  _ that's _ what matters.

"Hi, Pikachu! How are you doing? Keeping the doofus out of trouble for me?"

Pikachu grins at Misty through the screen, nodding enthusiastically if only to hear Ash sputter and watch the red head laugh.

Brock joins the call. He looks tired, bags heavy under his eyes and coffee in hand, but when he catches sight of his two younger once upon a time travelling companions, his face stretches into a grin. 

"Hey, guys!"

Exuberant greetings in turn, and Pikachu settles against Ash's neck and relaxes into it, letting the chatter and clatter of the Pokémon Center fade into background noise in favour of being with his favourite people.

There are stories to tell and adventures to share, lifetimes connected through long distance calls and all too short meetups. Cerulean gym is going well, quickly climbing the ranks and impressing the league. Brock has another residency coming up, but his degree is well on its way. Ash talks about the Pokémon he's seen, the people he's met, the places he's been.

Misty complains about bratty first time trainers and her sisters. Brock moans about essays and all the beautiful girls passing him by. Ash, mostly, complains about Team Rocket.

They don't talk about legendaries. About mythical beings and descending gods. They don't talk about the great beings of power that seek Ash out like he's a beacon in the dark. About death, or danger, or how this time could be the last time.

They don't. But they're here, and they're connected, miles and timezones between them. They're all too busy and they're all too stretched, but for an hour or two, they're together. Just like this, three young souls finding each other, even when their days grow dark.

Ash laughs so hard he snorts, and on the screen Brock and Misty look exasperated and fond. Pikachu gives a small static shock to make Ash's hair stand on end, and then all three of them are cackling.

Pikachu laughs, too. Ash is warm underneath him, and his heart is nothing but light.

They end up in a small clearing at the corner edges of town. The walls and steady trees give reminiscence of previous battles, but the buzzing cutiefly and ribombee make clear just how peaceful the area usually is.

Kaitlin is beaming at them, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She unclips a pokeball from her belt, and a truly massive tyrantrum lands before her, roaring. 

"You ready for this!?" she yells, her eyes full of the same fire as her pokemon, her voice overlapping with its reverberating bellow.

Pikachu exchanges glances with Ash, feeling the adrenaline pumping under his skin, knowing their faces are matched in their excitement.  _ We were born ready,  _ he thinks, and it echoes in his soul. 

Ash grins, his thousand megawatt grin. It crinkles his eyes and fills him with light. They have walked hundreds of miles to get here. They'll walk hundreds more before they're done.

"You bet we are!" his best friend calls, and all the sky is shining. "Pikachu, I choose you!"

And Pikachu leaps into the air, the thrill of a battle thrumming through his veins, Ash standing at his back, and it feels like coming home. 


End file.
